Today we’d like to introduce you to Bri Bagwell.
Bri, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been performing live – if we are counting the musical plays I was in as a young girl – since I was three years old. I started playing with a band when I was 14, after teaching myself to play an old keyboard I found in my parent’s garage. I have two older brothers (they’re identical twins), so when they were 21, we formed “On Tap” where I started playing original and cover music in local bars. I know mom and dad struggled with letting me play in the bars at such a young age, but that was pretty much the only way we knew to do it, and I was hooked! I would play with the band Thursday night until 1 AM, and then I was up at volleyball practice at 7:30 AM the next morning in high school. That honky-tonk lifestyle has been a part of me since then…
I moved to Austin from my hometown of Las Cruces, NM when I was 18 and accepted into The University of Texas! I figured that it was the perfect city to attend college and pursue music, especially since I was obsessed with Texas Country music. I started playing little bars, happy hours, etc. and after I graduated with a Marketing degree, I dove into playing music (after a brief stint at a day job). I owe it to Jesus and the Universe that I’ve met so many influential people early on (like the Lambert family) that helped me sign a 3-year publishing deal with Sony ATV and work with a big booking agency. I have been playing on the road for over 150 days per year for ten years, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I wrote a song called “Empty Chairs” on my last record that describes the rollercoaster that is the music industry. I believe we’ve had every kind of struggle, from changing band members to tire blowouts and trailer bearing disasters, to selling a bunch of tickets one night and none the next. Not to mention the challenges of being a female in a genre that has had very few women. This business will keep you humble, that’s for sure. In my song, it says, “it’s hard to beat the thrill of a high when I play a sold-out night and feel like God has put me there. But Lord, are you still with me when I see empty chairs?” I think it captures how the highest highs and the lowest lows are so close together when you’re a musician.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I love singing and songwriting, but on the stage entertaining a crowd with a great band is what I love the most. Performing live, connecting with an audience, and sharing magical moments because of songs that I have written, is the best feeling on earth. We love to put on high-energy shows, combined with some covers everyone is sure to know (Merle Haggard, anyone?), and also toss in some ballads about the real-life problems of relationships, alcohol, and loneliness. People say that I push the boundaries of what can be said in a song, but I just call that honesty. I even wrote a song about WANTING a boy to cheat on me, so I didn’t have to break up with him!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up with two brothers that were seven years older than me, and identical twins, I became very independent while also loving legos, sports, and the things we could do together. I was fascinated with music at a young age, and would often play records and tapes in my room; singing, studying the songs, and teaching them to my teddy bears became the foundation of my love for music. I was really into sports growing up as well and even had some college offers for Volleyball; but, I think I always knew that music was the most special thing to me, and I couldn’t ignore that.
Pricing:
- CD’s come autographed at $10 + shipping at www.bribagwell.com/shop
- T-Shirts are $25 + shipping at www.bribagwell.com/shop
- Vinyl Records come autographed at $30 www.bribagwell.com/shop
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bribagwell.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bribagwell
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bribagwell
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/bribagwell
- Other: www.youtube.com/bribagwell
Image Credit:
Jordan Fischels Photography
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